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The local munitions manufacturer has set up a new business dedicated to enhancing Australia’s sovereign guided missile capability.
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Brisbane-based defence company NIOA has established the Australian Missile Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary focused on supporting the Commonwealth government’s $1 billion Sovereign Guided Missile Enterprise.
The new NIOA business aims to foster collaboration between government, industry, and academia, in support of the initiative, announced in March by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The new national enterprise is estimated to be worth up to $40 billion over the next two decades, generating 2,000 jobs nationwide.
NIOA CEO Robert Nioa said the firm leveraged the government’s “Smart Buyer” process — an expenditure decision-making framework developed by the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG).
“NIOA is strongly aligned with the Commonwealth government’s mission to accelerate sovereign industrial capability and we are excited about this next phase,’’ Nioa said.
“As we have seen over the past 12 months with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s prudent for Australia to be more self-reliant.
“Defence is a manufacturing sector with enormous opportunity for growth. Investing in capabilities that assure supply of weapons for ADF is not only critical for the nation’s security, but it will create jobs and new business opportunities.”
Nioa added that many local and international firms have expressed interest in pulling together resources to advance the country’s sovereign guided missile capabilities.
“Since the Prime Minister’s announcement, many companies [have] contacted NIOA seeking guidance as to how best they could participate in the future guided weapons enterprise,” Nioa said.
“Building upon our experience as Australia’s No.1 Defence prime, NIOA’s response has been to establish the Australian Missile Corporation as a team of like-minded Defence organisations willing and able to support the new enterprise.”
Stakeholders have been invited to register their interest on the newly established Australian Missile Corporation’s website.
NIOA’s new push to promote local collaboration comes just a month after Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales Australia finalised a teaming agreement to facilitate co-operation in the design, development and production of Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile – Surface Launch (LRASM SL) variant.
The agreement will specifically focus on booster and rocket motor technologies.
[Related: Lockheed, Thales to jointly develop local guided missile capability]
